Even though it felt like we didn’t have any food by the end of May, I didn’t go shopping until June 6th– nearly a whole week into June! When we were working to pay off our debt, I would play a game with myself to see how long I could put off doing our monthly grocery shopping. It yields results similar to a no-spend month because it forces you to eat from your pantry and food storage.
For me, it got me making homemade bread again! In case you were wondering if it’s cheaper to make homemade bread, you should check out the price comparison and cost breakdown that I did. My kids were thrilled because they love bread right out of the oven! And it fills them up more than store-bought bread does.
I also had a couple of gallons of milk in the freezer that I used at the end of May/beginning of June. We were eager to get some fresh produce though.
I bought a few things this month that I’ve never bought before! I also splurged on some treats I don’t usually get.
If you want to watch (or listen to) me walk through everything we got, check out the video below, otherwise keep reading for the complete grocery list!
Winco = $198
- Parmesan cheese $3.76/lb x .6 lb = $2.26
- Baby carrots (2 lb) $1.88 x 2 = $3.76
- Baby carrots (1 lb) $.98
- Potatoes (10 lb) $2.48
- Cucumbers $.48 x 4 = $1.92
- Strawberries $1.28 x 10 = $12.80
- Apples $.98/lb x 18.32 = $17.95
- Nectarines $.98 x 7.58 = $7.43
- Peaches $.98 x 4.25 = $4.17
- Flour tortillas $6.83
- Whole wheat tortillas $1.98 x = $5.94
- Bread $1.58 x 10 = $15.58
- Bagels (6 ct) $2.48 x 2 = $4.96
- Strawberry jam (17 oz) $3.30 x 2 = $6.60
- Peanut butter (Adams, 36 oz) $5.73 x 4 = $22.92
- Peanut butter (fresh ground) $1.67/lb x 2.72 = $4.54
- Peanut butter (honey roasted, fresh ground) $2.62/lb x 1.12 = $2.93
- Peanut butter (Winco) $2.68 x 2 = $5.36
- Baking soda $.54 x 2 = $1.08
- Sugar (10 lb) $4.77 x 2 = $9.54
- Powdered Sugar (1 lb) $.76
- Cooking spray $1.97
- Canola Oil (1 gal) $5.98
- Bean sprouts $1.28
- Kit Kat 6 pk $2.98
- Reese’s 6 pk $2.98
- Marshmallows $.98 x 2 = $1.96
- Little Debbie snacks $.98 x 4 = $4.92
- Pasta (16 oz) $.80 x 11 = $8.80
- Spaghetti sauce $.88 x 3 = $2.64
- Ginger .08 lb = $.39
- Mustard .08 lb = $.24
- Egg roll wrappers $1.48 x 3 = $4.44
- Sliced dried potatoes $2.33/lb x 2.64 = $6.15
- Black beans $.83/lb x 2.34 = $1.94
- Sliced almonds $4.85/lb x .17 = $.82
- Cream of wheat $1.24/lb x 4.75 = $5.89
- Graham crackers $1.48 x 3 = $4.44
- Yogurt $.32
Sam’s Club = $93
- Skim milk $1.80 x 2 = $3.60
- 1% milk $2.20 x 2 = $4.40
- Sour cream (3 lb) $3.89
- Cottage cheese (5 lb) $6.48
- Shredded cheddar (5 lb) $11.48
- Shredded cheese mix (5 lb) $10.98
- Spinach (16 oz) $3.79 x 2 = $7.58
- Spring mix (16 oz) $3.79 x 2 = $7.58
- Bananas (3 lb) $1.38 x 6 = $8.28
- String cheese (48 ct) $7.98
- Honey (5 lb) $14.98
- Tortilla chips $2.88 x 2 = $5.76
Sprouts = $12
- Cilantro $.50
- Red seedless grapes $.98/lb x 9.28 = $9.09
- Roma tomatoes $.77/ lb x 3.04 lb = $2.34
MONTHLY SHOPPING GRAND TOTAL = $303
We spent 75% of our grocery budget in our monthly grocery shopping trip. That leaves us $100 for the rest of the month to get milk, produce, or any great deals that come up.
Curious what you did for meat? I didn’t see any on your list? Also, would love to see what you made with that grocery haul. I do meal planning and shop from a list, but by the time I have each breakfast, lunch and dinner planned for each person (when we take our lunches or breakfasts) and for dinners where we all eat the same thing. I feel like I am making that part too hard… would love to see you cover meal planning too!
I struggle with my husband really wanting good food, not frugal food. He also has IBS, so many cheaper foods are off the list. Thanks for the inspiration, tho!!
Echoing commenters above: it is super impressive how you manage to keep your grocery budget so low! I wish we had some more options here for grocery shopping – produce especially is so pricey here.
That said, I have been working toward adopting a method that is more geared at keeping the pantry stocked with staples, using those to cook from scratch and using our budget to stock up on fresh foods. It’s a work in progress but we are getting there.
Thanks again for sharing!
I’m impressed that you made it a whole week into June before going shopping! I almost always head out the first weekday I can after we hit a new month, ha ha. I’m really amazed at how you feed the whole family on such a low budget! Our budget is relatively low for 3 people I think (between $300 and $400 a month), but that also includes all of our household goods (toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc.), so I’m probably not doing as bad as I think.
I am always so impressed with how little you spend on groceries!! I’m sure your grocery shopping course is going to be awesome! I’ve found that reigning in my grocery shopping is one of the best ways to keep our spending in check and help us payoff debt even faster!
Nicely done! I’m looking forward to the lower produce prices and the larger variety of shopping options that will be available once we move. In June we’ve spent $294 so far on groceries and have another $56 left in the budget. We’re buying mostly produce and eating from the freezer, deep freezer and pantry as much as possible for the next 7 weeks until we move.